Spring attachment for pivotally connected levers



y 9, 1966 w. SMOYAK ETAL 3,

SPRING ATTACHMENT FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTED LEVERS Filed Feb. 12, 1964William .Smoya/r Richard Hutchinson g 28 34 INVENTORS BY Q nan WW BMUnited States Patent 3,261,244 SPRING ATTACHMENT FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTEDLEVERS William Smoyak and Richard Hutchinson, both of 34 Lillian St.,Fords, NJ. Filed Feb. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 344,434 6 Claims. (Cl. 81-417)This invention relates to a novel and useful spring attachment forpivotally connected levers and more specifically to a spring attachmentfor pliers of the type including a pair of crossed levers pivotallyconnected together intermediate their opposite ends and defining a pairof confronting jaw members at one pair of corresponding ends.

The spring attachment of the instant invention comprise-s a specificallyformed one-piece attachment which may be readily mounted onsubstantially all types of pliers and which is selectively engageablewith the crossed levers of the pliers in a manner to alternately urgethe jaw members of the pliers toward and away from each other asdesired.

The main object of this invention is to provide an attachment for pliersincluding means by which the crossed levers of the pliers will beyieldingly urged to positions relative to each other with the jawmembers of the pliers closed and selectively positionable in analternate position engaged with the crossed levers of the pliers wherebythe jaw members thereof will be yieldingly urged toward the openpositions.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediatelypreceding object, is to provide a spring attachment for pliersconstructed in a manner whereby the attachment is adapted to beoperatively mounted on substantially all types of pliers.

Still another object of this invent-ion is to provide an attachment inaccordance with the preceding objects constructed in a manner whereby itmay be readily modified so as to conform to the various forms of plierswhich are presently commercially available.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a spring attachmentin accordance with the preceding objects and of one-piece constructionwhereby the attachment may be readily utilized on existing pliers aswell as incorporated into the manufacture of new pliers.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment forpliers in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform toconventional forms of man-ufacture, be of simple construction and easyto use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible,long lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a pliers-type hand tool shown with the springattachment of the instant invention mounted thereon and with the springattachment operatively connected with the crossed levers of the handtool in a manner so as to yieldingly urge the jaw members of the plierstogether;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the hand tool shown with thespring attachment of the instant invention operatively connected to thecrossed levers of the pliers in a manner so as to yieldingly urge thejaw members of the pliers away from each other;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the planeindicated by the section line 3'3 of FIGURE 1 and on somewhat of anenlarged scale;

3,261,244 Patented July 19, 1966 ice FIGURE 4 is a side elevational viewof the assembly illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings and with theassembly inverted; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the spring attachment.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generallydesignates a conventional form of pliers which includes a pair ofcrossed levers 12 and 14 pivotally interconnected intermediate theiropposite ends by means of a pivot pin 16, see FIGURE 3.

The pliers 10 are conventional in design with the exception that thepivot pin 16 has a longitudinal bore 18 formed therethrough and a headedshank-type fastener 20 has been secured through the bore 18 and enlargedas at 22 on its first inserted end so as to prevent its withdrawal fromthe bore 18.

The fastener 20 includes diametrically enlarged shoulder portion 24whose free end is provided with a further diametrically enlarged head26.

The fastener 20 may or may not comprise a part of the spring attachmentof the instant invention. However, if the fastener 20 is omitted, ajournal or shank portion similar to the headed shoulder 24 is required.The spring attachment of the instant invention is generally designatedby the reference numeral 28 and comprises a one-piece torsion springwhich is coiled at its approximate midportion as at 30. The coiledmid-portion 30 of the attachment or spring 28 is rotatably received onthe shoulder 24 and the free ends of the spring 28 include generallyU-shaped laterally directed end portions 32 and 34 which are similar inconfiguration.

From FIGURE 1 of the drawings it may be seen that one pair ofcorresponding ends of the levers 12 and 1-4 define a pair of jaw members36 and 38 respectively defining confronting jaw faces 40 and 42.

While it may be seen from FIGURE 2 of the drawings that the levers 12and 14 are crossed, it is to be understood that the levers defining thepliers 10 need not be crossed but merely pivotally connected togetherfor rotation relative to each other about an axis which is substantiallyfixed relative to the lever members 12 and 14.

In operation, when it is desired for the jaw members 36 and 38 to beyieldingly urged together, the end portions 32 and 34 are engaged withthe handle end portion of the lever 14 and the jaw defining end portionof the lever 12 respectively. The torsional spring 28 is tensioned in amanner such that the free end portion of the spring carrying the endportion 32 tends to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE1 of the drawings while the other end portion of the spring 28 tends torotate in a counterclockwise direction. In this manner, the jaw members36 and 38 are urged together.

With attention now directed more specifically to FIG- URE 2 of thedrawings, it may be seen that the end portion 32 has been removed fromengagement with the handle portion of the lever 14 and engaged with thehandle portion of the lever 12 and that the end portion 34 has beenremoved from engagement with the jaw-defining end portion of the lever12 and engaged with the handledefining end portion of the lever 14. Inthis instance, with the end portions of the spring 28 carrying theterminal end portions 32 and 34 being tensioned so as to have a tendencyto rotate in clockwise and counterclockwise directions respectively asviewed in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the jaw members 36 and 48 are urgedapart.

The end portions 32 and 34 are of course formed of a configurationadapted 'to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the jaw andhandle-defining end portions of the levers 14 and 12, and thecross-sectional shape of the handle-defining end portions of the levers14 and 12, respectively.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with pliers of the type including a pair of crossedlevers pivotally connected together intermediate their end portions forrelative rotation about an axis extending transversely of said levers,said levers including two pairs of corresponding end portions disposedon opposite sides of said axis, one pair of corresponding end portionsdefining jaw members and the other pair handle members, and spring meanssupported from said pliers releasably engageable either with one of saidcorresponding pairs of end portions or with one of the end portions ofeach of said pairs of corresponding end portions disposed on oppositesides of said axis.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said one of said correspondingpairs of end portions with which said spring means is releasablyengageable is the handle members.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the end positions of each of saidpairs of corresponding end portions disposed on opposite sides of saidaxis define one of said handle members and one of said jaw members, andsaid spring means, when engaged with said one jaw member, includes aconnection therewith free of projections extending into the area betweensaid jaw members.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said crossed levers are pivotallyconnected together by means of a pivot pin extending therebetween andupon which at least one of said levers is journaled, said pivot pinincluding means defining a shank on one end thereof projecting outwardlyto one side of said pliers, said spring means comprising an elongatedtorsion spring member having its midportion coiled about said shank andits opposite ends projecting outwardly of said shank and including meansdefining embracing means adapted to selectively embrace correspondingend portions of said levers.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said embracing means comprisesintegral and generally U-shaped terminal end members carried by the freeends of said spring memher.

6. In combination with pliers of the type including a pair of leverspivotally connected together intermediate their end portions forrelative rotation about an axis extending transversely of said levers,said levers including two pairs of corresponding end portions disposedon opposite sides of said axis, one pair of corresponding end portionsdefining jaw members and the other pair handle members, and spring meanssupported from said pliers releasably engageable either with one of saidcorresponding pairs of end portions or with one of the end portions ofeach of said pairs of corresponding end portions disposed on oppositesides of said axis.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,910,750 5/1933Clark 81417 X 1,931,576 10/1933 De Neui 81417X 3,176,551 4/1965 Hansen81-423 FOREIGN PATENTS 247,761 6/1912 Germany.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner,

MILTON S. MEHR, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH PLIERS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A PAIR OF CROSSEDLEVERS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER INTERMEDIATE THEIR END PORTIONS FORRELATIVE ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID LEVERS,SAID LEVERS INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF CORRESPONDING END PORTIONS DISPOSEDON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID AXIS, ONE PAIR OF CORRESPONDING END PORTIONSDEFINING JAW MEMBERS AND THE OTHER PAIR HANDLE MEMBERS, AND SPRING MEANSSUPPORTED FROM SAID PLIERS RELEASABLY ENGAGEABLE EITHER WITH ONE OF SAIDCOR-